The 32nd Annual Hunger Games
by Hufflepuff64
Summary: Follow Skye Locksmith from District 6, as he fist fights Peacekeepers, and faces the Capitol's favorite game. The Hunger Games. But after his father is arrested for treason, and Skye is reaped, his life really sucks. But there's one good thing left - the Capitol loves him! See what happens to Skye in the 32nd Hunger Games. Rated T for action violence and very mild language.
1. Chapter 1: The Day before it Happened

**Author's Note: So this is my first Fanfiction. I hope you enjoy** **please leave your reviews. And I welcome any POLITE criticism** **you may have. Thanks, please enjoy!**

Hey, I'm Skye Locksmith. And I live in District 6. Well I used to. Anyways, so here I am working at the railroad tracks department, trying to earn a little bit of extra cash. Legally, I can't work in a department until I'm 18. But since I'm 16 I look like I'm older and no one questions me. But just as I get paid, my little brother Jesse, runs to me from seemingly nowhere! "Skye, Dad...Dad got arrested!" Jesse practically screamed. "What?!" I was mad. Tomorrow was Reaping Day and things were bad enough and now Dad had to go get himself arrested.

My father, Jamison Locksmith, has a small tendency to...well I call it ranting. But he calls it "preaching." But the point is, my dad likes to go around yelling about the Capitol throughout District 6. Some people believe him. So do I. The Capitol can find no other way to keep us in balance except for making kids fight to the death in an arena every year. The Hunger Games. What a stupid idea.

Obviously District 6 has only won a few times. I try not to even watch. But alas, I always get put back in line by the Peacekeepers. What an ironic name "Peacekeeper" is. The people who bear the name are as far from peaceful as you can possibly get. Okay so that's enough information. Back to my dad.

So Jesse and I run home as fast as possible. By the time we make it to the concrete house of ours, my legs are burning something awful. My mother is inside weeping. I hurry to her side. "Mom, what happened?!" I demand. She shakes her head and breaks back down into tears. Then I noticed the Peacekeepers. Two of them, standing in the back of the room. My father was at their feet, bound in cords. "Dad!" I attempted to run to him while Jesse comforted Mom. One of the Peacekeepers pointed his gun at me and stepped in front of my father. "Jamison Locksmith is under the custody of the Capitol due to acts of treason. Come no further," the Peacekeeper hefted his weapon. I boiled with rage. I wanted to scream and yell. But that is definitely not what happened. Instead, I punched the Peacekeeper right in the face.

He stumbled backwards as the other guard aimed his gun at me. I dove at his feet, and brought him to the ground. Now on top of the second Peacekeeper, I repeatedly punched him in the face. The gun fell from his grip. Then the original Peacekeeper shoved me off his partner and I looked up in horror. His gun was aimed at my chest. "You'll do yourself a favor, and forget this ever happened," he spat. Then he whacked me over the head with his weapon. And I was out.

"Okay, okay, explain it again. I'm confused," I told Jesse. He rolled his eyes. "After they knocked you out, they took Dad and said he would be jailed. And that was the end of it." I was amazed. "So...I'm not getting arrested?" I spluttered. Jesse shrugged. "Those were some nice hits though," Jesse chuckled. I nodded, grinning. So I'm guessing the Peacekeepers decided not to tell about my little confrontation, likely because it would wound their reputations. Imagine a Peacekeeper walking up to another saying, "Yeah, yesterday some kid beat the snot out of me"! Haha!

Next thing I know I'm slipping into my bed. Thinking over the day's events. Why, Dad, why? Was all I could think. Then I thought about poor 11 year old Jesse. He would grow up without a father to guide him through life. Then I realized how fortunate I was to have Dad. Well, for the first 16 years of my life. But now...now he was gone. Everyone knows when someone is brought to the Capitl for arrest, they never come back.

Just as sleep was grabbing a hold of me, I remembered something awful. Tomorrow was the Reaping! Crud...


	2. Chapter 2: I Get Reaped

So I wake up the next day, and my mom's fussing over my white shirt and tie. Straightening it, combing my hair for the millionth time. She's really spastic because of yesterday's events. Her eyes are red and puffy from crying. I could hear her in her room last night. Screaming, crying, banging her head against the wall. It was really sad to listen to it all as her son. But she seems to have...slightly recovered. And as long as I don't get reaped today she'll get over it, right? Yeah that's the problem...

Lucky little Jesse watches me get dressed, smirking. "Aren't you dashing?" Jesse mumbles laughing to himself. I shake my head, hiding my smile. I had no idea how bad the day would get. Since Jesse's only 11, he has one more year until his name enters the Reaping. Oh, yeah, by the way, my name is in the Reaping 12 times this year. Our family had had a rough year, but I was willing to add my name a few extra times to earn us a little more food to get by. I didn't realize at that time how much of a mistake that was.

A bit before it was time for me to go, my mother started muttering, "He'll be fine," over and over to herself. I couldn't really tell if she was referring to me or Dad. I assumed Dad. They had been married for 17 years, enough for his arrest to really get to Mom. I could tell Jesse still wasn't past it either. Suddenly, the idea came to me, while I was staring at my shattered family.

What if - what if I volunteered today? And I won the 32nd Games. Then came home and brought pride and WEALTH to my family? It would be amazing. And I could prevent my family from looking like this ever again! But obviously I was just daydreaming. I would never risk voluntarily going into the Hunger Games. I would never make it out, and I couldn't leave my mom and Jesse here to try and recover on their own! No, no it was a stupid thought.

Just then the bell rang throughout District 6. It was Reaping time.

My mother led me down the paved road towards the Town Square. That was one good thing about 6. We had the dang nicest roads of all the Districts! Because we are in charge of transportation, obviously. My mom whispered to me as we joined the throng of people on their way to the Reaping.

"We'll make it Skye. We'll make it." I was pretty sure she was telling me that half to reassure me, and half to reassure herself. Then we were there. District 6's 32nd Reaping. I kissed my mother, unknowingly for the last time, as I left her to go sign in.

"Your hand," a Peacekeeper commanded. She was looking at me funny. Clearly, she knew about my father. I gave her my left hand and she poked a needle into it to take some blood. Then she pressed my finger onto the record page. I was now a part of the horrible event that changed my life forever.

I headed over to the 16 year old section. I greeted Sydney and Gerald. They were my best friends. We went to school together, even hung out sometimes. "What's up Skye my man?" Gerald slapped my back hard enough to knock the wind out of me. "Nothing much, just getting ready to witness the deaths of 23 more children, how about you Gerald?" Sydney and Gerald almost died of laughter at that. "Oh man...well, how many times this year?" I knew what Gerald was referring to. "12," I muttered. His eyes almost popped out of his skull. "Man...I'm only in that blasted bowl 5 times," Gerald suddenly felt grateful I could tell. "Well, I really hope you don't get picked Skye," Sydney replied. "Thanks. How many times are you in there?" I rose an eyebrow. She shrugged. "Only twice. Nothing compared to you." I shrugged back. "Well, that's because you're a rich little brat Sydney!" Gerald sneered jokingly. We all laughed together. "First name they call is going to be Skye's! Haha!" Gerald had only been kidding, but it stung. Obviously it showed on my face, because he quickly apologized, and Sydney punched him in the arm. "Ow," Gerald whimpered.

Then the Reaping began.

District 6's Capitol representitive was Conley Meek. He gave us the usual speech about how the Games came to be, and how it would be an exciting 32nd. Then he played the Capitol-issued video about the Rebellion. And the destruction of District 13. Finally Conley spoke into the microphone, "Alright everyone, now we will start with the ladies of course."

Conley Meek shuffled over to the fairly large glass bowl filled with paper slips. Then he shoved his hand into the sea of white and brought it back up with a single piece in his hand. After smoothing it out, Conley went back over to the mic. He cleared his throat, and announced,

"Melissa Jennings!"

Never heard that name in my life. Then a girl from the 14 year old group slowly, shakily went on the stage and stood next to Conley Meek. I think I had seen her a few times around the District. Sydney looked only slightly relieved. "She's a young one," Sydney whispered in my ear. I nodded. But when Conley said he would pick the boy next I started trembling. It was the moment I had been anticipating.

He hurried over to the bowl labeled "Male." Then Conley reached deep into the bowl, and wiggled his hand around a bit. Just pick one! I screamed in my head. Finally, he held a single slip of paper. I got chills as he walked to the mic. Please don't be me, please don't be me, please-

"**Skye Locksmith**!"

Yep, it was me.


	3. Chapter 3: Congratulations

Slowly, I walk up to stage. In shock. But, then suddenly something clicks inside me. And the gears start turning. I begin smiling. Then nodding to people in the crowd. I even laugh. Though I was crying, and screaming inside. The act was on. I was now a tribute in the Hunger Games, and if I wanted sponsors I had to act like a real Capitol star. Finally I made it to the stage.

I couldn't see Mom or Jesse in the audience. Gerald looked like he just got smacked. Hard. Sydney was on her knees, crying. My smile slightly faltered at the sight. Once I was next to Conley, he resumed, "What a nice young man." I nodded to him, grinning even wider. "Thank you Mr. Meek. It's an honor to participate this year! I am so glad I get to represent my District in such a large event!" I lied. But it was believable, and very convincing. "Wow. Such enthusiasm..." Conley trailed.

Then his attention turned back to my District. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Skye Locksmith, and Melissa Jennings, tributes from District 6!" Conley boomed into the microphone. I cried in my mind.

We were taken to the Justic Building to say our final goodbyes. I plopped down in a ratty wooden chair against the wall. Could I win? The thought just occurred to me. Is it possible that if I keep acting, train hard, and make friends, could I win the Games? My reaction was, no. I'm just an ordinary 16 year old from 6, that happened to be reaped. I'll probably die the first day. The thoughts that went through my head after that were scary. Tributes beheading me. Tributes drowning me. Careers chasing me. I was startled when the door finally swung open. My first visitor.

It was Jesse. Tears streaming down his face. He sat in the chair across from me, in silence. Eventually I asked, "Where's Mom?" Jesse shook his head and muttered, "She fainted when they called your name. We had to carry her home. Then I ran as fast as I could to see you." I raised my eyebrows and a small tear in both eyes began to form. "She-she fainted?" I blubbered. Jesse nodded. Then he jumped up and hugged me. Possibly for the last time. "Skye, Skye, Skye..." Jesse sobbed into my shoulder. Then he pulled away and looked at me, face to face. "Tell me that you'll win," Jesse demanded. "W-what?" I sounded like an idiot. "Just tell me everything's gonna be okay, and you are gonna win," little Jesse replied softer this time. I nodded and gave him an encouraging smile as I said confidently, "Everything will be okay, and I'm going to win." Jesse's face brightened. "Okay," he smiled. Then a Peacekeeper escorted him out. That had been acting too.

My next visitor was Conley Meek! "I would just like to say, you are doing it right Skye." Conley nervously looked up at the ceiling. Then he leaned closer, "They're always watching. But keep up your act, and you'll do fantastic," Conley whispered it so softly I could barely hear! "Congratulations," he finished loudly, then left.

My third visitor was Gerald. Alone. "Hey, Skye." We sat in silence for at least two minutes. "You can do this. Do it for your District. Do it for your friends. Do it for Jesse. Do it for your mother," Gerald encouraged. He actually meant it. Then I turned to face him. Real hope finally boiling inside me. "I will, Gerald. I will," I answered. Then Gerald sat back relieved. Then I got serious again. "But Gerald." "Yes?" "You have to take care of my Mom. And Jesse. He loves you anyways. Gerald, be the big brother for Jesse, that I won't be," I looked down as I said it. But Gerald was happy to accept the offer. It was very emotional. Then he was taken away.

My final visitor, well I wouldn't call it a visitor, but, a Peacekeeper walked in with a brown package in hand. He handed it to me, and left the way he had come. I stared at the brown package. It was addressed to Skye Locksmith. But it was from "Anonymous." This was getting weird. Finally I tore open the paper. I saw a flash of silver. Then I pulled out the contents. It was a shiny silver belt with two crossed railroad tracks on the buckle. It was a District token! I suddenly had a very strong desire to know who "Anonymous" was. I looped it through my jeans and looked at myself. I actually looked pretty good with it. It was really good with my blond hair and light blue eyes. Then my "goodbye time" was over.

Conley guided Melissa and I to the train that would take us to the Capitol. Melissa's eyes were red and puffy. Her goodbyes must have been awful. One of my good traits was crying. I only cried when I wanted to things like saying goodbye to Jesse, makes me want to cry, but I don't have if I don't want to. That'll also play to my advantage in my little Capitol game.

We boarded the train and there were dishes strewn about full of insane foods I had never seen. It was beautiful. I was just about to stuff my face, when Melissa broke down crying. I rolled my eyes. I don't think it would help me in the Games to befriend this softy. Then a woman walked into the room. I noticed her from somewhere. Then it hit me, she had won the 19th Hunger Games! This was my mentor. Her name was...then I got it, Tammy.

Tammy the Victor smiled at me. Then she said, "Hi, I'm Tammy your mentor. Congratulations."


	4. Chapter 4: Meet the Tributes

I nodded to her and said, a little too sarcastically, "Thanks. It's an honor." I grabbed something off a plate that looked chocolate and stuffed it in my mouth. It was delightful! My mouth watered for more, and I obliged. I swiped a large group of goodies and sat at a small table. To my surprise, Tammy quickly took a seat across from me.

"Look, I understand how you feel. Remember, I was in the same position you are in at one point. But for now we have a lot to talk about," Tammy put a hand gently on my arm. I smiled at her but then asked, with a mouth full about Melissa. "I don't think it would be a good idea to talk to her right now. This happens to a lot of tributes. It takes some people forever to get over the suddenly large chance of death. You seem to be doing fine though," Tammy explained. I shrugged. "I don't know. It's the Hunger Games and I'm in it. Big deal," although I said it, to me it was a big deal. Tammy's eyes shone with understanding. Then she continued, "You're in really good shape Skye. That act out there was perfect. The Capitol will think you're some kind of angel tribute! This is great. You have a likable personality. You are a great actor. You've made an awesome impression. And, the girls are gonna LOVE you!" Tammy was really impressed with me.

Wait, did my mentor just call me hot? Haha. Then we got down to talking about the Games. Survival, sponsors, alliances, and so forth. Tammy was really informative. I actually might have a chance, I thought. Then I noticed Melissa out of the corner of my eye. She was staring blankly out the window, legs pulled tight to her chest in a sitting position on a bench. I paused Tammy and headed toward her.

"Go away," Melissa spat before I was even a yard away from her. "Hey, if you need help-" I was cut off, "No! Just, leave. Skye, leave..." Then, of course, she began weeping all over again. I shook my head and walked away. But before I was out of sight, I turned my head over my shoulder. I would regret this. But I was furious. "Have fun getting murdered in the Arena, while I'm showered in parachutes Melissa," I scoffed. Then I returned to my seat with Tammy.

We reached the Capitol. It was insane! The place was this huge grand city! There were cheering crowds awaiting our arrival. I quickly hurried to the window. I pushed it open and waved to the Capitol people. I smiled, winked, pointed, yelled. They loved it. I could hear Melissa wailing behind me. The sad part was, I didn't care.

We made it to our rooms in the Justice Building. Sixth floor for District 6. It was getting late, but everyone sat together awkwardly on the couch in the TV room to watch the reapings. I sat away from Conley and Melissa. Then Polis Bugg appeared on the screen. He was the host of everything Hunger Games related. He announced the showing of the reapings. Then a film from District 1 popped on the TV.

A girl was called, but someone immediately volunteered. She was a girly-girl you could tell. Her name was Jewel. Clearly she was one of those princess spoiled girls. Her dark hair was perfectly curled, and she wore an extravagant dress. She strutted onto the stage and blew kisses to the crowd. Then the male tribute was reaped. He started walking, but a deep voice boomed, "I VOLUNTEER!" Then a huge guy shoved people out of the way as he made his way to the stage. He was Art Phelps. He had messy brown hair, and huge muscles. His collared shirt couldn't hide his rippling muscle. Art and Jewel. District 1.

Then the video faded. Polis gave his impression, then it was District 2. Two more volunteers. The girl wasn't necessarily cute, but she was strong, and the expression on her face said she was all business. Her name was Casey Mart. The guy was lean but muscly. He smiled charmingly to his District. He ran his hand through his blonde hair with a cocky look on his face. I was disgusted. His name was Ray Decker. I hated him. He acted like he was the most important person in Panem. Tammy whispered to me, "These guys plus those from District 1 are Careers-" "I know," I interrupted. I actually did know, I had just forgotten he name for it. Careers. Ray and Casey from District 2. Then it was District 3's reaping.

"Heather Parr." That's the girl that was called. She was small, only about 13 by the looks of it. But she bravely marched up to stand on stage. She was blonde with light brown eyes. The guy who was reaped almost fell apart. His name was Nick McDonald. He was like 15, but he was crying and looked like a wimp standing next to the stone faced girl who was younger than him. Nick and Heather. District 3.

District 4 had one volunteer. The guy. But the girl reaped looked scared out of her mind. She was Diana something. The guy volunteered right after the name was called. His name was Fred Waver. He was pretty muscly by the looks of it. He had sandy hair with dark blue eyes. He ran to the stage with a smile on his face. Tammy leaned over and quietly reminded me, "Sometimes District 4 adds to the Career group." I nodded. "But why only Fred. Why wasn't there also a girl volunteer?" I asked puzzled. She shrugged and we returned to watching the District 5 reaping. Fred and Diana, District 4.

District 5 was really unimpressive. Some wimpy kids who cried their eyes out. The girl was Cara, and the guy was Phill, I think. They both looked about 16 or 17. I grinned though. I know it sounds barbaric, but I muttered, "Easy kills."

Then, it was the weirdest thing. I watched myself get reaped. I saw Melissa cry as she dragged herself to the stage. Then I saw myself. "Skye Locksmith," Conley announced. Then I saw myself smile and wave as I walked to the stage. I looked...good. It sounds conceited, but I was pretty good looking. It really did look like I was an "angel tribute." Then I noticed a horrific sight. My mother fainted. It was in the corner of the screen and hardly noticeable. Some older guys grabbed her and carried her away from the reaping. I saw a frightened Jesse glance disheartened at me, then he ran to help Mom. I watched myself act, until it was over.

District 7's reaping wasn't too interesting. The girl was Remi something. She was 18 I think. She cried a little, but she kind of got over it as the reaping went on. The guy was pretty wimpy. His name was Alvin something. He was tan with black hair and brown eyes. He was pretty short and I couldn't see much muscle mass. He was probably like 14 or 15.

District 8 wasn't intimidating either. The girl was Belle or something and she looked pretty smart. She wore glasses with hazel eyes. Her brown hair fell in a mess at her shoulders. She was clearly trembling as she took the stage, but she kept it together. Then the male tribute was called. He was Xavier Peck or something like that. He looked about 16. He was fairly lean but he frowned throughout the entire reaping.

District 9 wasn't too bad. The girl was Natalie York. She looked sort of strong. At least she kept her composure. She had green eyes and light brown hair. I'm guessing she's 17. She wasn't happy, that much you could tell, but she didn't cry or anything. The guy was like Tyler something. He was kind of muscly but he definitely shed a few tears.

District 10. Wimps. The girl cried her eyes out and had to be dragged to the stage. Honestly, I didn't even get a good look at her because she thrashed so much. Her name was like Isabel. The guy was...slightly more composed. He was slim and looked about 15. He was Gregory Thatcher or something.

District 11, however, was fairly intriguing. The girl was pretty brave. She had dark hair and tan skin. Her name was Riley, and she looked like she was 16. Then the guy, he was Pete Mount. I remember because he punched a Peacekeeper that tried to escort him up. But he jogged to the stage on his own. A curious act of rebellion. He had light brown skin, with a layer of pitch black fuzz on his head. He had serious muscles and he looked like he could throw a car at you. He was definitely 18.

District 12 was another pair of chumps. Really, I don't even think I cared to remember their names. Was it Henry? Or Hank? Wasn't the girl named Cathy? I couldn't recall a thing.

And then the TV went black as Conley shut it off. Then I noticed that Tammy had written down all the tributes with characteristics next to their names. District 1: Art and Jewel. 2: Ray and Casey. 3: Nick and Heather. 4: Fred and Diana. 5: Phill and Cara. 6: Skye and Melissa. 7: Alvin and Remi. 8: Xavier and Belle. 9: Tyler and Natalie. 10: Gregory and Isabel. 11: Pete and Riley. 12: Hank and Katie.

I spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling from my bed thinking about how to befriend. Then I drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Tribute Parade

The next day was spent preparing for the Tribute Parade. We were provided with a whole staff of stylists and designers. Each. My stylist was Jorge. He was pretty good at what he did. But he didn't talk much. Just grunts and mumbled phrases. He showed me the outfit Melissa and I would be wearing. "No way," I hissed.

The length of fabric from the toes to the neck, were designed to look like train tracks tight around the body. Then the headdress was a little halo with miniature Hovercrafts on it. I would look like a total dork in this thing. "There's no way I'm suffocating in this skin-tight railroad-suit. Oh no," I protested. Then a hand rested on my shoulder.

It was Tammy. "Yes you are," she spat. Then she wheeled me around to face her. "Look, I know it's not the most glamorous thing in the world, but this can play to your advantage..." Tammy reasoned. I shook my head, livid. "Oh yeah, and how so?" I barked at my mentor. She rolled her eyes and questioned, "Do you have a nice figure?" I turned beat red. "Er," I stammered, "I...yeah. I think." Tammy shrugged. "Good enough for me. You go out there, pose for the ladies, and show us your figure," she finished. I was suddenly feeling pretty encouraged.

After getting dressed, (it was a struggle) I looked around. I saw Art and Casey. When I walked by, I swear Casey checked me out. "That was odd," I muttered to myself. I noticed the rest of the Career pack as well. And I had been right. Fred, from 4, was the fifth Career. But the girl from his District wasn't there.

Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by Remi from 7, and Cara, from 5. They were flirting 100 miles a minute. I nodded, acted cool, and flirted back. I couldn't act too into them, or rumors would spread. But I also had to come off as charming. I think I did pretty well with that. Remi seemed really impressed. Tammy was right! I was a hit with the girls.

I casually walked towards the District 6 chariot. Melissa stood there awkwardly in her costume looking uncomfortable. I nodded to her. Melissa's eyebrows raised in surprise. I wondered if she'd ever learn from my confidence. I swiftly leapt up onto the chariot. Then, once everyone was seated, and ready, President Alan's voice began speaking proudly in the stadium outside. I readied myself. Melissa was scooted all the way to the other side of the vehicle. Away from me. I turned my head sideways at her. "What's up?" I took a cool position leaning against the wood of the chariot. She shook her head in disgust. "Loser," Melissa muttered. I smirked. "We'll just see who's losing in the end," I replied smoothly. I could tell she hated my style. My calmness, confidence, pleasure in her misfortune, and likable personality. She rolled her eyes, then got in a position facing away from me.

Then District 1's chariot rode past us toward the front. Jewel sat nearest to me. I know I shouldn't say this about my enemy...but she looked pretty hot. She had a beautiful blue dress that matched her hair and eyes perfectly. Jewel quickly glanced at me, and totally checked me out. I mean, she didn't do it like, a sneak peek. She looked me up and down so obviously. She did it on purpose. For some reason. Then she looked up at my face, held my gaze, then winked and smiled. I could feel myself melting as the chariot pulled away from us. "Well, she likes you," Melissa pointed out. I nodded. I probably looked like an idiot to her. Nearly drooling all over myself. But I couldn't let Jewel get to me. She was just trying to take advantage over me.

District 2, 3, 4, then 5 rode out into the stadium. Then finally it was us. "Time to swoon, girls," I mumbled just loud enough for Melissa to hear. I loved annoying that girl. We were yanked into motion. The chariot entered the stadium, and the sun blazed a purple line across my vision. But I quickly recovered, and smiled widely, showing off my teeth and indented dimples. I winked and pointed to people in the Capitol audience. I flexed my muscles. In that tight costume, I looked great. Then, I had the inspiration to do something interesting for attention. I grabbed the edge of the chariot before me and pulled myself up on top of the front of the wagon with ease. Now standing on the front of the vehicle, I smiled wider and posed over and over. I could hear the crowd "Oooing" and "Ahhhing." I knelt down and showed off my arms and legs. I could feel the Capitol's admiration. Finally, we neared the circle of chariots near the President's podium. I bowed in the direction of President Alan, then slid from the front of the chariot smoothly.

After a short speech by President Alan, we returned to our Dressing Rooms to get undressed. Before I got to my room, Jewel approached me. I was about to shirk away like I would at home, but I decided to stay confident. I whirled around to face her. "Hey, pretty boy," Jewel said in greeting with a wink and that winning grin. I nodded to her with a smile of my own. "What's up Jewel?" I returned. She smiled. "Ah, nothing Skye. How's the Capitol serving you?" Jewel inquired. It was all small talk. For now. "It's pretty cool I guess," I shrugged as I spoke. She nodded and pursed her lips. "So," she looked straight at my torso, "Nice outfit." Jewel stepped a little closer to me. "Thanks," I grinned. Then I did a very courageous thing. I stepped forward as well. "Well..." she gently put a hand on my chest. "Have a fantastic night," Jewel finished. Then she kissed me on the cheek. It wasn't the usual peck like most girls do. No, it was weird. Jewel pressed her smooth lips against my cheek and held them there for about 5 whole seconds. Then she winked again and waved at me and walked away. Then I melted again.

After explaining my meeting with Jewel to Tammy, she was ecstatic. "Oh, wow! Even the princess of District 1 has a thing for you, Skye! This is awesome! You'll have the Capitol wrapped around your finger in no time at all!" Tammy ranted. She always had a way of getting me to see the good in every situation. I still got butterflies in my stomach just thinking about Jewel's kiss. It wasn't anything huge like a kiss on the lips, but it was still...amazing. Melissa eavesdropped, while pretending to converse with Conley. Later that night I saw the look of disgust, and slight jealousy on her face as we went to bed.

That was the Tribute Parade. Finally, as I lay in bed that night, I began constructing a plan of action when the Games finally came. And Jewel would play a key role in it.


	6. Chapter 6: Training Week

I woke up on Training Day 1 feeling energetic. Ok, so my plan was this. I would use Jewel to get into the Career pack. At the same time, I would form a legitimate alliance with a few others. Then, when the Career pack was down to three or four, I would kill as many of them in their sleep as I could, then run away and meet up with my other alliance. It was as good as anything I had seen used in the Games before.

Once we got to the Training Room, I scurried over to the spear-throwing station, while Melissa stood gawking at the huge area with all the weaponry, and survival stations. The reason I went for the spear-throwing station was because the whole Career pack was chatting over there. I said hi to Jewel. "Last night was fun," I said loudly. She nodded smiling. Jewel gave me a hug and introduced me to the group. "Guys, this is Skye Locksmith. District 6," Jewel declared gesturing to me. I waved awkwardly.

The guy from 2, Ray, was the first to laugh. "Ha! Some loser from 6?! What is this Jewel? This kid's probably got no skills!" he scoffed at me. I shook my head, then pointed to him. "That's where you're wrong 2," I retorted. Then before he could respond, I pushed the pack out of the way. Then I swiped a spear. Back home, I would throw sticks into the sacks of railroad parts for fun. Eventually I started drawing targets on the bags while others weren't watching. After a while, all the kids my age joined in, and we would play that game almost every week. I actually got really good. So, my skills actually aren't that bad.

I aimed at the target with the spear clutched in my hand. "Heh, don't miss," Ray fake-coughed. I turned and whispered back, "I won't." Then I did something insane. I threw the spear while I still looked at Ray. Not even focusing on the target, I heard my spear thud into the board. Unbelievably, I turned around and saw a miracle. The spear stuck about a centimeter away from the blue bullseye.

Ray's mouth dropped open. Jewel clapped excessively, Casey whistled, Art's eyebrows raised, and Fred muttered, "Woah, kid." I would say that the shot was about 60 percent luck, 40 percent skill. Then, just for good measure, I threw a couple of spears that also stuck surprisingly close to the center. "Is that enough proof for you guys? He's Career material!" Jewel blurted to the others.

"I don't know Jewel," Art looked me up and down. Fred raised his hands palms facing me, "That's proof enough for me. We need a sixth man anyways." Ray shook his head. "Alright, alright. Skye's in..." he finished. A squeal of joy erupted from Jewel. She hugged me tight, then whispered in my ear, "You're amazing." A chill went down my spine.

That was the first day. I was officially a "Career." Art still wasn't sure, and Ray was reluctant, but I was in. Then Day 2 came, and I knew I needed to find my real alliance.

We reached the Training Room early. I convinced Melissa to come early because I wanted to avoid the Careers. At least for a little while. There were only a handful of tributes there when we arrived. I spotted a girl. Heather. From District 3. I approached her. She sat at a table tying knots. I sat across from her. Heather turned red and sank further in her chair. "Nice knot," I said trying to be friendly. She didn't respond. I quickly began tying one, to avoid more conversation. I was pretty good at it though, because I had at one time been in charge of tying the knots on the bags of railroad materials back in 6. Before I could keep trying to talk to Heather, a figure appeared next to me. I looked up to see Pete Mount. The huge kid from 11. He held two swords.

"Wanna spar?" Pete asked, wearing a toothy grin. My heart stopped. Did I want to have a go with Pete Mount? No. But what if I could make him my ally? I could be decent with a sword after all. Back home, we eventually started fighting with the sticks after we threw them. I got decent at it. So I stood up and faced Pete. "Okay. Get ready to lose." I smiled at him.

Pete was good. Real good. But I wasn't too bad myself. Turns out I'm better with a sword than my original guess. He won the first match. I won the second. We were sweating, cracking jokes, laughing. It was weird. This Pete guy, who looked like a ruthless killer was pretty fun to hang out with. But after a while I noticed the Careers on the other side of the room. I said bye to Pete. "That was great fun. You're pretty good Skye," he complimented. I knew it. Pete would be my ally. He had to be.

Day 3 arrived. I kept showing off my skills and stuff. But then I went to lunch and sat with Pete. The Careers were too busy messing with the guy from 8 to notice me. Surprisingly, Pete was sitting and laughing with some other guy I didn't recognize. Then it hit me. It was Gregory Thatcher from District 10.

"Hey," I greeted Pete. "Hi. This is Greg. He's my ally," he returned. It was surprising to me how open Pete was about these things. "Hey, I'm Skye-" "Locksmith. I know. The angel from 6. Whatever," Greg waved at me sarcastically. It was kind of rude, but I shook it off. "So guys, look, I don't have much time, but I need to ask you something Pete," I rushed. "What?" Pete replied, but it was obvious he knew what I would say. "Can I join your alliance?"

"Yeah, sure Skye. You're cool," Pete answered nonchalantly. "Woah, woah, woah. I don't even know this guy," Greg protested. "Well I do. He's cool. But, hey, aren't you in with those...Careers?" Pete continued sincerely. Then I told Pete and Greg my plan. All of it.

Pete was ALL for it. Greg had to get sweet talked, but it was arranged.

The rest of the Training Week was fairly uneventful. I hung out with the Careers most of the time. Jewel just couldn't get enough of me! Casey kind of started to fall for me. Fred clearly thought I was the coolest guy on earth. He followed me around and agreed with me about almost anything. Ray and I got a little closer, and he definitely started to accept me. Art was the only one still not sure about me. I couldn't get him to jump on board.

I also checked in with my alliance every once in a while. Greg started to like me more and I got used to him as well. Which was good. Pete was really nice. He kind of lead the alliance, Pete did. He was strong, authoritative, and kept us out of fights. Then, before I knew it, Training Week ended.

I lay in bed again that last night of Training Week thinking about the next day. We would be scored tomorrow. 1 being the worst, and 12 being the best. It was called Individual Assessment. I was a little nervous, but I knew I was skilled enough to do great. The Games started in 3 days. Pretty close.

Then memories of my family waved over me. Little Jesse. What was he thinking right now?How did my mother feel? Where was my dad? I nearly cried thinking about them. But eventually sleep greeted me without any dreams.


	7. Chapter 7: Scores and Interviews

I jumped up and down and shook my arms rapidly. This was it. Tonight, I would be scored and judged by the Gamemakers. I was still in my room. In 5 minutes we would be called out by Tammy to head to the Training Room. I looked into the mirror I now stood before.

I was wearing the assigned training outfit from the Capitol. A 6 imprinted on the front and back. My District. I looked at my face. My light blue eyes that looked like crystallized water. They were my father's. He had always had the softest eyes with a hint of wisdom, just like mine. The tone of my skin was a lighter peach color. I didn't have that fair of skin, but I was definitely white, with a slight tan. My nose was straight and narrow. Not long, just narrow. It was kind of a mixture of my mother's and father's noses. My dad's was straight - but wide. My mom's was narrow - but curved downward. Not like the witch kind, but you know. My muscly form had been the result of hours working in the railroad factories, packaging bags, tying bags, and providing for my family. I wasn't huge like Pete, but I could definitely beat up 75% of the tributes this year. Which is good, while I'm in the Hunger Games and all. My blond hair was inherited from Dad for sure. He had the exact same color and texture of hair as I.

Then there was a knock at the door. I quickly opened it and walked past Melissa. She looked very nervous. Of course I wasn't. I had this thing in the bags! Tammy approached me with a smile plastered on her face. We got in the elevator, and the journey began.

"Jewel Price, report for Individual Assessment," a voice demanded once the tributes were seated in the waiting room. Jewel hopped to her feet at the front of the room. She looked straight at me, winked and flashed me a smile. Then she entered the Training Room. Art went next. Then the kids from 3. Heather looked scared to death. Then Fred, and Diana from District 4. Then 5 went. Cara hurried over to me when she was called, and hugged me before I could react. Then she scurried away.

"Melissa Jennings," the voice called. The girl stood shakily and left. It hit me then that I was next. I cracked my knuckles, rolled my neck, and got ready. "Skye Locksmith, please report for Individual Assessment." Everyone in the room noticed the word "please." I was the only one that the voice had called using the word "please." I laughed to myself, then I walked into the Training Room.

I marched to the front of the room. There was a section where the Gamemakers sat watching me. I faced the Gamemakers, bowed, and announced, "Skye Locksmith, District 6." The Gamemakers looked pleased. Yeah they liked me a lot. I ran to the spear rack and picked one up. It was all uphill from there. Bullseye. Close. Closer. Close. Close. Bullseye. Close. I was doing great with the spears. After a few more, I walked over to the weaponry. Grabbing a sword, I walked to the battle-dummies. Slashing, jabbing, stabbing, I cut through the dummies. I looked really good. Then I pulled a cool maneuver and slashed a dummy in half. For effect, I threw my sword to the ground after I finished. Then I went to the agility station. I hopped threw the obstacles and scaled the rope-net. I was done after that. The Gamemakers, clearly reluctant, dismissed me. They were impressed. Yes, they were, indeed, impressed.

That night, Melissa, Tammy, Conley, Jorge, Melissa's stylist, and I sat around the TV anxiously waiting for the scores. Polis Bugg introduced the show. Then the scores were announced. Jewel got a 9. Art, a 10. Casey also got a 10, she'd be lethal. Then Ray scored a 9. District 3 scored a pair of 6's. Then Diana got a 5, and Fred scored an 8. I kind of ignored District 5's scores. But then it was District 6's turn. "Melissa Jennings, with a score of...6," Polis announced. Melissa looked sad at the announcement. I resisted the urge to smirk. Then it was time for my score. "And then there is, of course, Skye Locksmith from District 6, with a score of...10!" Polis declared enthusiastically. Was it just me, or did he add more suspense than usual. I froze in the midst of the sudden congratulations and cheers from Tammy. I got a 10!

Greg got a 7, and Pete got an 8. The rest of that night was spent celebrating. It was so surreal. I had scored the same number as Art and Casey! I really was "Career material." Even if I never will be a true Career. Pete did well, and Greg didn't do too bad. Then suddenly Tammy was all concerned about the Interviews tomorrow.

I made her shut up eventually and dragged my butt to bed. But that night after falling asleep, I did have a dream. I was back in 6, in my home, sitting at a table. Then Jesse ran up to me and said, "They're here! They'll hunt us down! They know your secret Skye!" I stood up alarmed. "My secret?" I asked. Then Jesse disappeared. Art and Jewel appeared in his place. Then everything was in slow motion. Art pulled out a large knife and a malicious grin spread across his face. I was getting very creeped out. Then Jewel winked at me and whispered in my ear, "You're amazing." Then Jewel disappeared, and I faced Art alone. Still in slow motion, Art reared back and threw the knife at my face. I watched in horror as it neared me. Then just before the tip should've hit my face, I woke up frightened and drenched in sweat.

I did my best that day preparing for my Interview. The act was going well. It would be easy to get the Capitol on my side. Heck, they already loved me. The Interview would be a piece of cake. But last night's dream still haunted me. Would the Careers discover my ploy? That was the biggest concern I had about the Games. But I had to focus on the Interviews. I still had a day before the Hunger Games began. I needed to enjoy it.

Before I knew it, the time had come for the Interviews. I made sure to put my belt on with my blue suit. The silver one I had received as a District token. I had been wearing it every day since training began. I still wondered about "Anonymous," whoever the person was that had given me the belt. I silently thanked them and swore that, if I survived, I would seek out the sender of the belt and thank them in person. "Come on," Tammy greeted me. Then we entered the elevator.

"Ladies and gentlemen may I present, Art Phelps!" Polis introduced on the stage. Art ran out onto stage for his interview. The whole Capitol was there to watch. I trembled, standing in the middle of the line of tributes waiting to be interviewed. I waited through countless discussions. Jewel actually mentioned me. "Have you made any friends, Jewel?" Polis had asked. "Well, a couple. I'm getting really close to Skye from District 6," was Jewel's response. I was surprised at that. Finally Cara was called to the stage. I was next. Polis Bugg finished up with Cara and then finally the time came.

"I'm sure many of you have waited anxiously to meet him in person...let's hear it for Skye Locksmith, of District 6!" Polis practically screamed over the roaring audience. I walked out onto the stage. The blast of light disoriented me for a moment. But I quickly waved, and smiled at the screaming Capitol. I noticed a few posters held high by some people. One read, "Skye Locksmith, will you marry me?" Another said, "Hottest Hunger Games Victor of all time: Skye Locksmith." I laughed to myself at the last one. Taking a seat across from Polis, I pointed to the sign that said, "Skye Locksmith, will you marry me?" and nodded. Screams erupted from that area in the audience.

"Wow, wow. You've got some fans Skye," Polis commented. I shrugged. "I guess so," I replied lamely. The crowd eventually fell silent and we continued. "So, how are you feeling about the Games coming up?" Polis inquired. I grinned and leaned back in my chair. Putting my hands behind my head in a comfortable position, I responded, "Oh, I've got this Polis." The Capitol ate this up! Whistling and screaming immediately came from the audience. Polis smiled. "I'm sure you do. But we're all wondering; Skye, are you single?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Everything was quiet. It seemed like the crowd was on the edge of their seats in anticipation. I slowly answered smiling, "Yes, Polis. I am single." More enthusiasm from the Capitol. I could hear a few female squeals. Polis laughed. "That's hard to believe! Well, Skye, how did you react when you earned that 10 last night?" he continued. I shook my head. "Polis I was upset!" He looked taken aback. "W-Why? That was an amazing score," Polis complimented. I smiled. "That's kind of you Polis. Really it is. But," I stood from my seat shaking my fists, "I should've had a 12!" The audience went nuts! After regaining control, Polis pointed to my pants and asked, "Where did you get the belt?" I looked down and back up. I grinned and replied, "Well this is my District token! You like it?" Polis answered positively. We finished the interview with a little bit of small talk, then I was dismissed.

After the rest of the interviews, we came back to the District 6 penthouse. I briskly walked to my room and locked myself inside. I slid down to sit against the door. Tomorrow was the Hunger Games, and I had a lot to think about.

Jesse. Mom. Dad. Gerald. Sydney. My other friends. How would they react if I died? Would they EVER recover? I knew Gerald would would. He would help the others get over it as well. If I knew anything about my best friend, then I knew he would help everyone get over my death. "But I'm not going to die," I told myself. That's what I always say to reassure myself. But what if I DO die? The idea was suddenly becoming real to me. If Art decides that I'm not worth it, it would be only too easy for him to kill me when I least expect it. If Jewel takes advantage over me and kills me, I would be done. If Pete or Greg betray me, I would be done. If the Careers discover my plan, I would be done. If I don't find enough supplies, I would be done. If I get ambushed by anyone that doesn't trust me, I would also be done. The risks were numerous, but I also had a large chance for my plan to work. If it did, my alliance and I would be in an excellent position. I went to bed on that thought.

As I lay there, in that bed, for the last time, I had a more positive thought on my mind. If my plan succeeds as I think it will, I would be a Victor.


	8. Chapter 8: Let the Games Begin

I was up very early on the day that changed my life. I had slept as long as my body would allow, but the anxiety had won me over. I now sat on the couch watching TV. Somehow I ended up watching a rerun of Tammy's Games. The 19th Hunger Games. I watched as the Capitol played some of the highlights. 3 Careers chased down a girl from 7. Two of the Careers tackled her to the ground. Eventually they got her pinned down. Then the final Career, I'm assuming she was kind of the leader because she now stood over the girl from 7. She said something, then grabbed a bow, drew an arrow, and shot the tribute in the face. It was gory too. The other two Careers laughed their heads off. Then the screen changed and I saw Tammy - a young version of her hiding in a tree. Below her were two tributes. One was on top of the other, punching the other in the face repeatedly. A cannon finally fired, signaling that the attacker had finally finished the other tribute off. He stood up from the dead body frowning. Then I watched as Tammy pulled a knife from her backpack as quiet as she could up in her tree. Then Tammy aimed for the boy below her, and threw the knife with amazing accuracy. It pierced the tribute through the neck and he fell to the ground. A cannon sounded. Young Tammy looked horrified at what she had just done. Then she began to cry.

"He was my ally," a voice startled me from behind. It was Tammy. "Uh, which one?" I asked turning to see her. She wore a sorrowful grimace. "The one that got beaten to death. I promised him I would kill whoever killed him. And I did," Tammy responded quietly as she took a seat next to me. I turned back to the screen and watched as 5 flying mutts chased Tammy and another tribute. I assumed they were the final 2 left. The one running beside Tammy was one of the same Careers that I watched kill the girl from 7. Then I saw Tammy viciously whip around and punch the Career straight in the face. He fell to the ground bleeding. Then Tammy turned back and kept running. But it didn't matter at that point. All the mutts were busy attacking the Career on the ground. They swarmed over him and destroyed him. A cannon blasted and the mutts dispersed. A voice announced Tammy as the Victor. The Hovercraft came to pick her up. Tammy was crying again, looking at the mess of organs and blood that had once been the tribute killed by the mutts. I turned the TV off.

I comforted Tammy for the last 30 minutes before the others would wake up. "This isn't right," Tammy shook her head crying, "I should be comforting you." I shrugged. The rest of the morning was a blur. We ate, received some pep talks, but in the end we were still escorted to the Hovercraft that would take us to the Arena. I shivered as I walked aboard.

I took my seat and looked around. All the tributes were sitting down and strapping themselves in. I calmed my raging emotions and leaned back in my chair. "This is going to be fun," Ray finally broke the awkwardly long silence. I just nodded. Even though the Games had arrived, the act was still on. Then a Peacekeeper went around putting our trackers in. I looked up to see a woman put her hand out. "Arm please." I smiled at her. She totally blushed, then I gave her my arm. It hurt terribly for a moment, then it was over and the pain subsided. The flight was fairly short yet it felt like a yearlong journey.

Once we were escorted from the Hovercraft, a Peacekeeper shoved me through a door and into my Launch Room. I observed my surroundings. Tammy sat at a table with two glasses and a pitcher of water. Next to Tammy was the large tube that would bring me into the Arena above. She gestured to the seat across from her. My eyes darted to the tube to her left, then I sat down. "Here we are," Tammy started,"Finally it's time Skye. I need you to get your game face on. This is the Hunger Games and if you want to survive you need to sell our plan. You need to kill without hesitation. You need to have no regrets. You need to act. You need to recover. You need to have hope. It's simple really. All you have to do is keep breathing. Just breathe." I nodded and smiled. Tammy really did help. Keep breathing. Thats exactly what I would do.

"30 seconds until launch," a voice declared. Tammy pulled me into a tight hug. "Good luck Skye." That was the last thing anyone said to me before the Games. I looked down and stared at my belt. It was all for my District. For my family. For my friends. For myself. "20 seconds." I walked into the tube. Tammy nodded to me and I nodded back. Then she broke down crying and sat down. "10 seconds." I looked up. I was ready. It was time, and I was ready. It was time to focus. I turned back to Tammy just as the tube began ascending. I smiled to her and shouted, "If I die, tell Jesse and my mother I love them!" Seconds later I was blinded by a sudden flood of light.

I found myself on my pedestal. Next to me, on the left, was Fred. We nodded to each other. Then I took in the environment. We were in a large rocky area. It was dusty and the ground was made up of orangish rock. There were a few boulders here and there. Behind me was an expanse of rocky terrain. Beyond it I could see a layer of trees. Then I turned back to face front. Here's the problem. Before me lay a gigantic chasm. The pedestals were in a ring around the abyss. In the center of the hole was a circle of rock on which sat the Cornucopia. The only way to get to the Cornucopia was to get across the chasm. Impossible right? But there were small circles of rock unevenly spread throughout the chasm. They looked sturdy enough. If I were to jump from rock to rock, I would be able to reach the other side. The Cornucopia. A voice began counting down from 30. On my right was the guy from 12; Hank. He looked terrified. I turned back to Fred. "Stick with me, and we'll make it to the Cornucopia. Step where I step! Unless I fall to my death of course," I yelled to him. He nodded eagerly. I'm sure the Capitol got a kick out of that. Finally the voice reached 5,4,3,2,1. A loud gong sounded.

I leapt from my pedestal to the nearest rock to me. I refused to look down. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Cara, the girl from 5, jumped from her pedestal and straight into the chasm. She didn't even scream. Suicide no doubt. I jumped to the next rock. I heard Fred jumping behind me. My agility training was finally becoming useful. I leapt from rock to rock like a monkey. Fred fell behind but he was doing well. "Only like 5 more!" I yelled back to Fred. Then I jumped a few more times, nearly slipping on one of the rocks. Then, with a crazed war cry, I jumped the large gap that stood between me and the Cornucopia. I landed with a thud on my feet. I was the first one to make it by a long shot. Art was getting close. So was Casey. At least they were on my team.

I ran to the Cornucopia and looked around frantically. I grabbed a spear and turned around. There was a slim sword inside the Cornucopia covered in a sheath. With the time I still had, I took the sheath/sword and attached it to my shining belt. Then I hefted my spear and looked around. There were two or three figures in the distance, on the other side of the chasm, running across the rock. They were the ones who didn't even care for the Cornucopia. Cowards. Art made it to the Cornucopia and grabbed a scythe. Then Casey was there grabbing a weapon. A few tributes were still hopping around on the rocks. One was pretty close to me. I noticed Casey watching me intently. I needed to prove I had the guts to kill someone. I swiftly ran toward the tribute near me. It was the girl from 8. Belle I believe. She jumped onto the final rock with a look of accomplishment on her face. I closed my eyes holding back tears at what I was about to do, then I reopened them. I reared back and threw my spear with amazing accuracy. It pierced Belle through the neck. Shock overwhelmed her as she tumbled to the ground. Belle was dead.

I averted my eyes as I extracted the spear from Belle's body. Casey looked impressed. Art quickly ran to attack a tribute that had made it to the Cornucopia. Then I noticed Fred grab a weapon flashing me a smile. Then I turned to see the guy from 8, Xavier, with a crazy look on his face. He tackled me to the ground. The wind got knocked out of me from the impact. Clearly he was mad about me killing his District partner. Xavier struggled to pin me to the ground. I used my spear as a bar to shove Xavier off me. He fell beside me clutching his chest. Then I scrambled to my feet and raised my spear. Xavier's eyes widened as he saw me standing above him. I snarled and brought my spear down into his chest. I pulled it back out and walked back to the Cornucopia, without even looking back at Xavier. Casey was repeatedly knifing someone in the face, and Fred was under assault. Jewel had finally made it to the Cornucopia, Ray was still hopping on the rocks. I approached Jewel. Then I saw her. Heather from 3, running at Jewel from behind holding a small knife. Jewel was oblivious. I had to act. But I didn't want to kill a 13 year old girl! I had no choice. Heather would kill one of my "allies" if I didn't act. I quickly chucked my spear screaming loudly. It stabbed into Heather's side. She fell to the ground, convulsing in pain. The screams, oh, the screams. Jewel turned around, startled. Then when she put together what had happened she looked at me smiling. "Thanks Skye," then Jewel winked. Seriously, the wink was getting old.

Ray made it and we all gathered to clear the Cornucopia. There were a few tributes left. Fred was injured from an attack by Hank. Fred said, "Nasty kid. Pretty obvious he's from 12! What a great thing I've done killing that beast!" I smiled, without sincerity. "Alright! Ray, Skye, you guys get those tributes over there! We'll go this way," Art barked. I shrugged, then lead Ray to the tributes Art had referred to. Then I saw Melissa. Trying desperately to jump from rock to rock before we reached her. "Ha! Is that your District partner? I'll leave her to you!" Ray chuckled as he went after Tyler from 9. Her face paled as Melissa saw me facing her clutching my spear. I slowly approached her. "NO! Skye, please! You wouldn't!" Melissa squealed as she backed up to the very edge of the small rock she stood on. I shook my head. "Melissa, I have to do this," I replied coldly. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Then I hope you win Skye. I really do," Melissa spat back. I angrily growled and reared back. Then I let the spear fly. It connected with Melissa's stomach. She looked down in horror. Melissa screamed loudly. Then she fell. She fell off her rock and into the chasm. With my spear! As she disappeared into the blackness below, I fought tears.

The rest of the Careers all met back up at the Cornucopia. I slung a bag on my shoulder. "Hey, we aren't going through any supplies yet 6! Put it down. It's almost dark, let's set up camp inside the Cornucopia," Art commanded. Then we spread out sheets, and started a small fire with matches and spare pieces of wood.

We hardly talked until the Panem anthem played. It was time to tally the kills. Heather's face appeared first, and the pain came back. I shoved it into the back of my mind and focused on the rest of the deaths. Diana, Fred's District partner's face was next. Fred frowned. "I killed her! Sorry, I would have saved her for you Fred, but you know..." Casey announced. Phill, and Cara's faces both appeared, meaning both kids from District 5 were dead. I recalled back to watching Cara leap into the hole of darkness, without a single scream. Suddenly I was looking at Melissa's face in the starry sky. Laughing erupted from most of the Careers. I noticed Fred staring at the sky emotionless. "Nice job Skye! She was a weakling!" Jewel complimented giggling. I smiled and thanked her. Mixed emotions raged within me at seeing Melissa's face that night. Then both Alvin and Remi from District 7 appeared in the sky. Art bragged about killing Alvin, while Jewel talked about killing Remi. Then both of the kids from 8 appeared in the sky. Xavier and Belle. "I finished both of those suckers," I boasted loudly. Jewel's mouth curled into a smile in the firelight. Really I was ashamed. I had ruined both of District 8's chances of success. Tyler from District 9 was next. "He was an easy kill!" Ray laughed excessively. I smirked. Then Isabel, District 10, appeared in the sky. I realized then that thus far, I hadn't seen a single glimpse of Greg or Pete! Clearly Greg was alive since only Isabel from 10 was dead. But what about Pete? Then my question was answered when Hank's face was next. Pete was also alive. So was the other District 12 tribute apparently because after Hank, the sky went dark. Before I could calculate the numbers, Casey declared, "12 kills. 12 alive."

I volunteered for first watch as the Careers fell asleep. I now sat observing the area at the mouth of the Cornucopia while the others slept inside, covered in supplies and spare weapons left over. I was tapping my foot trying to be productive when I heard a small thump from above the Cornucopia. Someone was on top. Just before I woke the person nearest to me, someone jumped down in front of me. I pulled out my sword and looked at the tribute. It was Pete.

He raised his hands submissively. "Hey, hey. Look, Skye, we need to do this quickly. Give me some supplies and two weapons for Greg and I. We found a cave on the other side of the chasm where we are going to hide. Greg figured out how to hide the entrance and everything! So hurry and give me some stuff kid!" Pete whispered speedily. I nodded, taking it all in. Then I swiped two fairly large backpacks plus an extra, then I handed them to Pete. I picked up a bow, quiver full of arrows, and a mace. Then I gave those to Pete as well. "Thanks kid. So far so good! Oh, and...I'm sorry to hear about Melissa..." Pete spoke quietly. I shrugged. "I did it Pete. I killed Melissa. And I feel. Like. Crap." Pete frowned and shook his head. "Hang in there kid. Everything will work out. See ya!" Pete finished awkwardly. I waved to him and he set off running to the abyss. Then I sat back down and watched him hop from rock to rock until he made it to the other side and faded from view. I then leaned back resting against the cool metal of the Cornucopia, feeling the midnight breeze. What a day...


	9. Chapter 9: Deaths

Jewel shook me awake violently. "Wake up sleepy face!" she yelled giggling. I got up groggily and propped myself up on my elbows. Art and Ray were putting together some supplies while Casey searched the area for tributes. Fred was having a conversation with Jewel next to me within the Cornucopia. I stood up, brushed the dust off my pants and walked out of the Cornucopia. It was unbelievably hot. "Is this an Arena, or an oven?" I joked. Jewel and Fred cracked up hysterically. Art glared at me. "Listen Skye. We need to figure out what to do with the remaining supplies. We can't just leave them here for people to take. What do you suggest?" Art explained, annoyed. I thought. We could put the supplies inside the Cornucopia, then block off the entrance with boulders. But we would need a way to access it as well...

"I got it!" I snapped my fingers. Ray rose an eyebrow. "Would you like to share?" he asked. I nodded. "So first we need to put the supplies inside of the Cornucopia. Then we block it off with boulders," I was stopped by Art trying to intervene but I waved him off. "Then we use these," I grabbed a pick axe and a shovel, "To dig a tunnel into the Cornucopia and camouflage the entrance!" The group thought it over, took a vote, then decided to do it. Fred and I were assigned to dig the tunnel while the others put the supplies inside and blocked the Cornucopia. I grabbed the shovel and tried my best to dig up the rocky dirt. Fred used the pick axe to help me out. Eventually we got about six feet down, then we dug forward in the direction of the Cornucopia. We worked tirelessly for about 2 hours until Art came to check on us. "Looks to me like you are below the Cornucopia already. Start going up now," he said then left the tunnel. I shrugged to Fred and we began digging upward.

After breaking the ground, we got up and looked around. Yep, we were inside the Cornucopia but it was pretty dark. The entrance to the structure was completely sealed by large boulders and rocks. There were only very small beams of sunlight coming in from the cracks in the boulders. I gave Fred a high-five and we sorted out the supplies. After leaving and announcing our victory to the others, they cheered and went inside the tunnel. The Careers were impressed. Then Art and Jewel announced that they had successfully camouflaged the entrance to the tunnel. It had a group of small boulders clustered around it with a bush wedged in between them. So, unless someone literally steps on the bush, no one will find the tunnel!

We gathered our supplies and got ready to hunt down tributes. Ray pointed out to a spot on the horizon behind the Cornucopia. "I saw a group going that way," he explained. I nodded. "Let's go." The others agreed and we set off toward the chasm that stood before us. The main reason I wanted to go this way was because Pete had run away last night in the opposite direction. Hopping across the rocks again was a good 15 minutes. Art and I stood on the other side rolling our eyes at the incompetence of the others. Eventually though, we all gathered on the other side. Then we set off just as the sun began lowering on the horizon. The trees in the distance slowly began to grow in size. There seemed to be a woodland forest surrounding the rocky desert. We made it about three quarters the way to the forest when the sun went down. Casey pulled something from her bag and hit a button that illuminated the path before us. It was a flashlight. "Here there's another one," she tossed the other flashlight to Art, "This way we can keep walking into the night." Ray grumbled something about being tired from moving boulders but we kept going in the pale gloom of the flashlights. Then the forest suddenly loomed before us.

"Tonight we can either go hunting in there," Art pointed into the massive forest, "Or, we can sleep the rest of the night right here," he then pointed to the ground below him. Ray plopped down. "I'm tired..." he groaned. Art shook his head. "Fine. Let's take a vote. Who wants to sleep?" he asked everyone. I didn't want to look like a wuss, so I didn't raise my hand. Jewel, Ray, and Fred rose their hands. It was three against three. "Humph. I guess we'll split up then. Casey, give them a flashlight. You guys sleep here, and we'll go hunting. When day breaks, we'll come back and regroup," Art concluded. I nodded. "Sounds like a plan," I told Art with confidence. I was actually horrified at the thought of going out in the dead of night into a forest with Art and Casey

- the most ruthless of all the Careers. "I apologize ahead of time if a cannon wakes you up," Casey snickered. Fred laughed and they set up camp while Casey, Art, and I turned to the forest.

I'll admit, walking into a creepy forest, with only one flashlight, walking next to Careers, got me pretty scared. Okay, I was terrified. I could just imagine Art whipping around and murdering me. Or a random tribute falling from a tree and killing me. Or, I even pictured Tammy up in a tree pulling out a knife silently and aiming it at my neck. The thought sent shivers down my spine. But I just kept stumbling alongside Casey and Art. I was assigned the compass since we had concluded I was the best with directions. I watched the compass as we headed northwest. Then, suddenly, Art hushed us and we came to a stop. Then I heard it. A crunch, crunch, crunch. Someone was walking near us. Art turned off the flashlight and whispered with a chuckle, "Get ready to hunt."

The tribute was slowly walking. She passed our path without even noticing us. Before she was out of our way, Art told me to get her on the ground. I gulped down rising vomit, and nodded. Then I spurred into action. I jumped up and charged the tribute. She spun her head around in shock. I leaped at her growling like some kind of tiger. Then suddenly I was on top of her and we were rolling across the leafy forest floor. I eventually pulled myself on top, and shoved her to the ground. Looking at her face, I realized that she was Katie, the girl from District 12. She looked horrified. "Skye...what the?" Then Art and Casey must have appeared beside us because Katie's face cleared and she screamed. Art's small sword was immediately slashing across her neck, and a cannon fired loudly, echoing in the dark forest.

"Run!" Art hissed. I hopped up away from Katie's lifeless body. I was open-mouthed looking at what we had done. Casey grabbed my arm and we set off sprinting through the forest. "Where are we going Skye!?" Casey yelled over the sound of smashed leaves. "This way!" I ran in front of them and lead them in the direction of the rest of he Careers. "Why are we running again?" Casey yelled to Art. "Because she screamed you idiot! Who knows if she had allies nearby!" he shouted back angrily. I rolled my eyes. Even I knew why we were getting out of there. Then, the unthinkable happened, as I was rushing through the forest with Art and Casey behind me, a figure flashed across my view and we collided! The other tribute and I fell to the ground in a heap. I shoved whoever it was off me harshly and pulled out my weapon. I jumped up, kicked the person in the ribs and pointed my sword at them. Then I realized who it was.

Fred stood up clutching his chest. "Hey, Skye! Chill, it's me! You guys might want to see what happened!" he explained gesturing back where he had come from. I sheathed my sword and nodded. Then Art, Casey and I ran behind Fred following him back to camp. Once we got there, we saw what Fred was talking about. Supplies were strewn about. But most of all, Jewel and Ray were gone.

"I don't know how it happened!" Fred yelled tousling his hair, "Jewel was on watch! I woke up to the cannon, and looked around. When I saw that they were gone I came running to find you!" Fred explained breathless. I nodded. "Who knows where they could be now..." I looked down. I saw the other flashlight on the ground under a blanket. I picked it up and turned it on. "We've got a lot of searching to do guys. Let's go," I encouraged. We packed up all our supplies, then we began a search of the area. It was easy to tell there was no one in the rocky area, meaning Ray and Jewel's captors would have to be in the forest. As we walked into the forest, Casey posed the question that was on all of our minds, "Why didn't they take Fred?"

After a few hours in the forest, we didn't need our flashlights anymore. The sun was coming up. There were no kills on Day 2 technically. Katie was killed after midnight I guess so she died on Day 3. We were just about to give up on looking anymore, when we got a clue. A single, burnt match was on the leafy floor. Casey showed us her find and we grabbed it. Then we kept going through the forest when we heard the screams. Male screams, coming from our left. We turned that way and charged through bushes and past trees. Then we found a small clearing. Jewel and Ray were tied to two trees. There was a group of two tributes hunched over Ray. He was screaming. "Stop it! Please stop!" Jewel was yelling at them. Then I decided to act. I unsheathed my sword and charged yelling, "Back off you maggots!" One of the tributes glanced back and said something to the other as they stood up and faced me. Another tribute came at me with a long metal bow staff. Both tributes were female. The one charging me was Riley from District 11. Pete's partner. I skidded to a stop. I didn't want to kill her. But she hacked at me with her weapon nonetheless. I blocked the blows with my sword and slashed at her feet. Riley jumped over the strike and swung her bow staff at my head. It hit me hard and I collapsed in pain. I watched with purple dots dancing across my vision as Fred untied Jewel, Casey attacked Riley before she killed me, and Art battled the other tribute. The other tribute was Natalie from District 9. I was about to pass out from the immense pain in my head when Jewel appeared above me smiling. She extended a hand and helped me up. Energy surged within me and I shook off the pain. I cleared my head and focused on Ray. He looked bad. He had black burn marks all over and his shirt was torn to shreds. He had bags under his eyes, and he looked on the verge of death. I ran to him. "Ray, are you alright? What..." I stuttered. He shook his head. "Natalie...she was...mad. I killed her...boyfriend. Sh-she tormented me. She burned my skin with matches! HELP ME SKYE!" Ray erupted into a fit of screams and complaints. Yeah, he was crazy. But that look on his face. That scarred skin. It was terrible.

Art had Natalie on the ground. "You MONSTER!" she yelled at Art. The Career shook his head and shouted some kind of war cry, then he stabbed her in the stomach. A cannon shot and Art wiped the sweat from his forehead. I turned to see Casey get smacked with Riley's bow staff. Then she got hit again. Riley was beating her to death! "Get away!" Jewel yelled. Then Jewel ran to Riley just as Riley took her staff and drove it hard into Casey's skull! Then Riley ran away as fast as she could. Jewel pursued her off into the forest. I ran to Casey's side. She was knocked out cold and bleeding something awful. That Riley girl was a real fighter. I held Casey's head and took a first aid kit from my bag. I heard a cannon and snapped my head back. Ray was slumped against the tree. Fred, and Art were there looking at Ray as the life left him. I was about to watch the same happen to Casey if I didn't act quickly. I patched up the larger scrapes and gave her some ointment.

After the Careers set up camp in the clearing, Fred took over caring for Casey. He had more first aid experience. Art waited for Jewel to return. I approached him. "I wonder what's going on out there..." I whispered. He nodded. "I hope Jewel destroys that worm!" Art growled back. I can't say I could agree with him. Although Riley did almost kill me, she did some work on Casey and Natalie killed Ray, so...I hate to say it, but Natalie and Riley were just making my job easier and I was fine with that. Eventually night took over and Casey lost more blood. Art and I still waited for Jewel while Fred tended to Casey's wounds. "I can't believe what happened today. We're supposed to be the strongest. We aren't supposed to lose Careers to little worm tributes!" Art threw his hands in the air. Then he looked at me. "And YOU," he jabbed a finger at me, "almost got yourself killed! What were you thinking charging in there like a fool trying to kill that girl?" Art sighed, then he turned away from me. I was speechless. The more Art disliked me, the sooner I would have to execute my plan. Then that awkward conversation was broken by the anthem playing.

First, Ray's face flashed in the sky. I looked at him. His sandy hair and brown eyes really complimented his features. It was a shame he had to die. Ray actually wasn't a bad guy. Not quite as ruthless as most Careers. Then the image of Ray tied to the tree burned up and insane came flooding back. I remembered it all to well. It was scarring! Then Natalie was shown in the sky. I spat at the ground in the most disrespectful way I could muster. As if on cue, Art spat just like I did. Katie was the last picture to appear that night. Art volunteered for first watch. Fred now lay on his back looking at the stars. I sat next to him.

"Do you think the stars are fake too?" Fred asked. I shrugged. "I don't know," was my response. Then a beeping noise emerged from the darkness. "What's that?" Fred scrambled to his feet. Then a second beeping noise began. I looked around wildly. Two small shapes floated down from above - parachutes. I celebrated, cheering and hollering. "Parachutes!" I announced cheerfully. One of them drifted into my hand and the other landed next to Casey. I eagerly opened my long package to find a note, a weird gadget, and three spears! I cheered. I also read the note, "Keep going Skye! These should be helpful!" Then in small letters in cursive handwriting, "Two days. Then do it. Use these." I stuffed the note in my pocket. I took the spears and placed them in my backpack. I took the gadget and looked at it closer. It had imprinted on it, "HoverBoard - Skye Locksmith." I looked it over and over. It was a small cube. Then I found a small metal button on the bottom and pressed it. To my surprise, the cube extended into a long metal board that fell to the floor. It had metal boots attached to the top to place my feet. I cautiously slipped my feet into the boots. Upon contact, the attached boots covered my entire feet in metal, keeping me placed firmly on the board. Then I jumped on the board and somehow stayed in the air. I was hovering! I guided the board with my feet up and down. The board could go about 10 feet off the ground and about 70 miles per hour! It was amazing! I must have some really wealthy sponsors! Then Art called me down.

"Well, clearly Skye's got some interesting new toys. But Casey was sent a package full of medicines to give her. They're working clearly," Art told me. Then Casey walked into the circle of Fred, Art and I. She had a bandaged head but otherwise looked fine. Casey smiled and said, "Let's get some sleep guys." I smiled back.


	10. Chapter 10: I'm Changing

On the morning of Day 4, we did go hunting. Partly to find the remaining tributes. And partly to find Jewel. She was still out there somewhere. We searched a huge portion of the forest surrounding the rocky desert. Our supplies were starting to dwindle. That night we went to sleep without any success in finding tributes. The anthem played but there were no faces in the sky. "Arrghh!" Art moaned as he sat down next to our camp fire. "Jewel's probably starving to death and those other tributes are still alive! Who's left Fred?" Art ranted. The kid from 4 counted it out on his fingers then whimpered, "There are four others not including Jewel..." The camp fell into silence. Casey began snoring and our conversation came to an end.

Day 5 was a nightmare. Art barked at us and dragged us through the forest like some kind of drill sergeant. Half of the day I spent anxiously thinking about Tammy's note, and the people I had killed. 1 more day. Today. Then, tomorrow, I was supposed to abandon the Careers and find Pete and Greg. As we trekked across the brown leaves and green trees, guilt filled my stomach. Belle, Xavier, Heather...and Melissa. All of their frightened faces flashed through my head and I nearly threw up. The screams of Heather. The shrill howl of Katie. Then Katie's pale face and Ray's burnt and scarred body came to mind. I shivered. It scared me to think that they were dead. Gone. I shivered again. Blood curdling screams sliced my thoughts into confusion.

They were everywhere. Screams of terror. They were echoing off the trees and birds flew wildly in fright. My whole group looked around shocked. Fred yelled, "Make it stop!" But I could barely hear him over the sound of glass breaking, raw, alien, animalistic screams. Casey fell to the ground clutching her ears. They were bleeding. The screams didn't stop. In fact they got louder and louder. Art fell to the ground in pain. Casey started screaming as well. That made it so much worse. Fred started shouting at random, crying. I ran in circles not sure what to do. It was horrible. The screams...they challenged my sanity.

It was like my very soul was being pierced. My brain corrupted. All I could think about was the sound of the screams. Had it been 10 minutes now? Or an hour? Time passed as I now lay on the ground by the Careers staring into the sky. The screams kept coming. There was now a chorus of three. One was the original. I slowly turned my head to see Casey screaming, red-faced. But no one else was. Who was the third voice? My mind was forced into reality as I jumped up. I ignored the screams to the best of my ability. Then I searched the bushes and nearby trees for the third scream. I felt myself getting closer. Then there she was. Jewel.

Laying on the ground screaming insanely. She was foaming at the mouth! Her body was thin and bony from hunger. She looked parched as she clutched a knife in her shaking hand. Jewel's eyes darted to me, then back up at the blue sky. It wasn't real. There was no way it was. I stumbled back a few steps. The screams were driving me nuts. I wanted to rip my hair out and pitch myself into an abyss. Then something took over me. Something terrible.

Rage. I wanted so badly to end the screaming. I took out my sword wickedly and cackled. An evil, insane laugh that didn't sound like my own. Then I thrust my weapon downward and into Jewel's stomach. Her face contorted into a look of pain. Jewel's shrieks were cut off abruptly as I brought up my sword and down again. And again. I couldn't stop stabbing her. Suddenly I hated Jewel SO MUCH! I don't know why, my brain just told me what to do. I jumped on Jewel's bloodied body as a cannon fired and punched her bony face three times. I got up, kicked Jewel two more times and stormed away, my blade glistening red.

Sometime during my tantrum, the other two screams had stopped. My ears had never felt better. I limped back to Casey, Art, and Fred where I fell to my knees. Before I could cry, Art croaked, "How?" I dragged my body closer to him. "It was Jewel. She was screaming. And I killed her," I admitted wholeheartedly. Art nodded understandingly to my surprise. His face looked maniacal. "Yeah, I would have done it too. Casey's lucky I didn't have the willpower to go over there and kill her," Art replied without amusement. I gave a fake laugh in return. Fred slowly sat up. Then Casey did as well. "I can't...do it..." Fred moaned. The rest of that day we half set up camp, half dragged about saying crazy things. Once I heard Art actually mutter, "Bacon." But the question still stood, "Who was the original screamer that day?" A Capitol trick, or an unseen tribute? Would we ever know?

Once I assigned myself for first watch, the anthem played. Jewel's was the only face that night. Then I remembered the Capitol. How they were watching. They wanted to see my reaction to Jewel's death. I smiled and stood up, then I looked up at the sky, moonlight shining on my face, and winked. After that, the sky went black and I sat back down. There was a reason I had chosen to have first watch. Through all the guilt, pain, and slight insanity, I still had to keep Tammy's order in mind. Tonight, when the Careers would least expect it, being the assigned night, I would kill them, and find my alliance.

As I sat in darkness holding a flashlight to watch for any intruders, I formed my plan of attack. I would get my HoverBoard ready. Then, I would murder as many Careers as I could, then I would hop on my shiny vehicle, and zoom into the desert, find Greg's cave, and reach safety. Then, and only then, would I have time to think about my problems. I slowly got up and turned on my HoverBoard. Luckily, the sound of the engines wasn't loud enough to wake the others. Then I unsheathed my sword. Things were about to get ugly.

First, I marched over to the sleeping body nearest to me. I couldn't tell who it was. I raised my sword and whispered, "I hate Careers." Then I slashed down at the person's neck. A cannon sounded and I hurried to the next figure. That was my mistake. Obviously this next person was awake! The cannon had awakened both of the others. Before I could run to my HoverBoard, someone jumped up to a standing position. "Skye? What's going on? Who?" Art blubbered. I just kept running to my HoverBoard. Then I realized that Casey was behind me. She tackled me to the ground. "What are you doing? Did you just KILL FRED?!" Casey spat at me. She was wrestling to get on top of me. I shoved my torso upward to throw Casey off of me. It worked. I scrambled to my feet and lurched for my Hover Board. Then I threw my body onto it and slipped my feet into the attached boots. Art was charging at me. "I WILL KILL YOU! SKYE LOCKSMITH, YOU ARE A TRAITOR!" Art boomed at me. I just smiled at him, waved, and spurred my HoverBoard into movement.

I zoomed past trees and through the forest. The Careers' shouts and catcalls were lost behind me. I felt around in my pocket while guiding my board. Bingo, it was still there. My compass. I looked at it and directed myself toward Pete and Greg's general location. Hopefully I would find them before somebody else did. The thought then occurred to me; I had killed Fred. He wasn't a bad guy. I should've been more careful when I was selecting who to kill that night. Suddenly, I found myself flying through the desert. I observed the land before me. A figure was in the distance next to a large boulder and some weeds. I couldn't make out who it was, but because they were alone I decided to head toward them. As I neared the tribute I could tell it was Greg. He stood with his hands on his hips, smirking. I arrived a few feet away from him and hopped off my HoverBoard.

"Like my new toy? Pretty useful," I chuckled as I transformed my board back into its cube form. Greg approached me and told me where the cave was. It was behind the large boulder, and surrounded by large bushes but there was a small hole beneath one of the shrubs. "You want me to go through that?" I scoffed. "Hey, your choice. If you want to stay out here, that's up to you," Greg replied smiling. I shook my head and slid under the dead bush. The prickly branches scraped me multiple times but I made it through. Greg was right behind me. There before me lay a small hole. The cave.

I got down onto my butt and shuffled down the sloped opening. I was greeted by a faint red glow. Then after sliding down about ten feet, my shoes hit the ground below. I could make out the area before me. A rectangular stone sat in the corner of the cave where a single candle sat, giving off the red light. Pete sat with his back against the back wall. The roomy cave was pretty nice. "Welcome back Skye. It's been a while huh?" Pete rose an eyebrow with a smile. Greg slid down behind me. There were backpacks and supplies laying against a wall. "Did you bring us any of the Careers' goodies?" Greg questioned. My face went red. I had forgotten to grab supplies. I face palmed and apologized. "Hey it's okay. We will have to go out to the forest though if we want food..." Pete explained to me.

I shook my head a little too vigorously. Maybe I was losing my marbles. "Not if I can show you the stash," I responded, a grin filling my face. Pete smiled back and Greg asked, "What's the stash?" I sat against the left wall and elaborated, "After the bloodbath and Day 1 was over, we needed somewhere to hide the remaining Cornucopia supplies, right? It was my idea actually. Have you guys noticed that the Cornucopia is sealed off?" They both nodded, listening intently. "So, we put the supplies inside the Cornucopia, sealed it off, then created a secret tunnel into the Cornucopia! And I know where it is!"

Greg and Pete cheered. "Perfect! We'll go tomorrow!" Pete finished. Then we went to sleep. There was no need to set up a watch because we were already camouflaged.

Morning came way too fast. When Greg woke me up, I was still feeling groggy and asleep. We packed up whatever food Pete and Greg had left in one backpack, then we walked out of our cave and through the bushes. Outside it was very hot. "Everyday out here it gets hotter," Pete said, squinting. I took out my compass and pointed in the direction of the Cornucopia. It was a small dot with a dark ring around it off in the distance. We set off at a quick walk. As we traveled, we exchanged stories, me explaining every kill and experience the Careers had. Apparently, the boy from 3, Nick, who was still alive, had once snuck into the cave and stolen half of Pete and Greg's food! But that was just about the most interesting thing that had happened to them thus far. Then I got to the part about the screams. I described it in amazing detail. Greg looked horrified at the story. Pete's eyebrows were furrowed and he looked like he was in deep thought. "I think I'm going insane. Pete...I don't know what to do..." I trailed. The huge kid from 11 glanced at me and smiled. Then he ruffled my hair and shoved me playfully. "C'mon Skye, you're fine. Get over yourself," Pete encouraged. I wasn't so sure. Just as the sun began dipping below the horizon, I realized the truth.

"I'm changing."


	11. Chapter 11: Coyotes

A loud howl pierced the night. I jumped up from my slumber, startled. "What was that?" Greg hissed alarmingly. Pete was now up next to me. I unsheathed my sword and looked around. "Over there!" Pete yelled. He held a mace. The one I had given to him at the beginning of the Games. There was a group of small shadows approaching. "Are those...coyotes?" Greg wondered holding a bow.

I smiled. "I don't know but if they attack us, I'm gonna chop them to bits." Pete laughed but Greg just looked uneasy. We stood in silence waiting for the shadows to reach us. As they neared, it became evident that they were indeed coyotes. There were six of them. And three of us. We could take them right? "Skye, you get the two on the far left. I'll get the two in the middle, and Greg you take the two on the far right," Pete ordered. I nodded and tightened my grip on the sword. Greg swallowed hard and nodded as well. Then, all at once, the coyotes howled a deadly screech.

I yelled back and ran wildly at the coyotes I was supposed to kill. Pete followed, with Greg taking up the rear. The first coyote jumped at me. I swung upward with my sword. It connected and flung the coyote over my head. I could hear it whimpering as I faced another coyote. It leapt at my feet, attempting to scratch at me. I kicked it away fiercely. It came back and went for my stomach this time. It clawed at me and even tried biting my stomach. I wailed in pain as blood poured from the marks left behind. I shoved the coyote off me, then ran at it. I lunged and stabbed the beast straight through the throat. It fell, dead, to the ground. Then there was impact against my back. The injured coyote had returned. I flailed around until it fell off me. Then I swung around and pointed my weapon at the coyote. It charged me snapping its teeth. I rose my sword and brought it down mightily. The blade pierced the coyote in the abdominal area. It died.

Pete was swinging crazily at his remaining coyote while Greg looked like he was in trouble. Despite the screaming pain of my stomach, I dragged myself over to help Greg. His bow and arrows were scattered across the ground. One coyote lay on its side, two arrows sticking out of it. The other coyote was on top of Greg in a tussle. Greg struggled to get the thing off him. I leapt at the coyote and swung with my sword. It smacked the creature across its head. The coyote fell off of Greg bleeding gallons. It tried desperately to get on its feet, but eventually the strength left it. I helped Greg up. "Dang that thing..." he murmured. Pete was now by my side. He gasped. "That's pretty bad Greg," Pete croaked. "You think?" Greg responded sarcastically. We limped back to our camp just as dawn arrived.

It was officially Day 7. One week. One whole week I had been in this crap hole they call an Arena. We began our journey toward the Cornucopia. We'd helped Greg bandage his wounds but there wasn't much we could do. "I'm sure there will be some good medical supplies in the stash," I huffed as we walked through the desert. Then, Greg fell. He couldn't keep walking. "It hurts too much. Please..." he complained. Pete sat on the rocky ground to assist him. "Skye, go to the stash. Bring back whatever you can or Greg will bleed to death!" Pete boomed frantically. I nodded and pulled out my HoverBoard. I jumped on it and smiled to Greg. "You'll be fine bro. I got you," I told him. Then I sped off on my vehicle.

I skidded to a stop at the abyss that stood between me and the Cornucopia. I quickly stuffed the cube into my pocket and leaped onto the first step. I had to be very agile. It took a lot of focus, but I was soon on the other side. I sprinted to the area where Jewel and Art had camouflaged the entrance to the tunnel. I scrambled around until I found it. I picked up a shriveled bush and looked down into the dark tunnel. Honestly, it frightened me to go down there. But I had to do it for Greg. I shook my head, muttered, "Why am I doing this?" Then I jumped into the tunnel.

It was dark and creepy, but I felt my way forward and up into the Cornucopia. So far so good. The inside was clear so I grabbed two bags and looked for medical supplies. There sat a small box with a red cross on it. Bingo. I picked it up, shoved it into one of the bags, and jumped back into the tunnel. I hurried outside and placed the bush in its original position. Then I ran to the chasm and got across it again. I took out my HoverBoard, jumped on it, and rode as fast as I possibly could toward the two figures in the distance.

I reached them and leapt off my HoverBoard. I tossed the medical kit to Pete and he got to work. Greg wasn't looking good. He was deathly pale, sweating like crazy, and he kept jerking around oddly. Another image of the Hunger Games burned into my mind. Added to my collection. I remembered back to seeing Melissa's face, Belle's, Xavier's, Jewel's, Ray's. I imagined the sleeping body of Fred just before I had killed him. I couldn't take it anymore. This had been a terrible week. I was getting sick of everything! I just wanted to go home. Pete broke my train of thought, "You're in trouble Greg..." I looked at the tribute from District 10. He nodded. "Look guys, I'm just going to slow you down. You two go out to the stash. Get our supplies. Then pick me up on the way back to the cave. I'll still be here," Greg attempted to sway us. I was expressionless. "Pete. What do you think?" I had learned to trust Pete with most of our decisions. He frowned and said, "There's no way we are leaving you behind Greg." I finally stepped in. "No, we have to do it Pete."

"What? No Skye! He will die if we leave him!" Pete returned frustrated. "Do it!" Greg intervened. Then I did something I terribly regret. I shoved Pete and spat, "We are going now! We can come back like Greg said!" Pete looked hurt. Real hurt. "Oh yeah, if you want to abandon Greg, you have to abandon me too Skye," Pete replied coldly. Then he squatted back down to help Greg readjust his bandages. I was speechless once again.

"Pete, sometimes you have to think about what's best for the group. We need those supplies or we will die! We can't just stay here forever until Greg heals, which could take days!" I yelled at my friend. He stood up and shook his head. "No. Skye, shut up," Pete said furiously. I scoffed, "Why don't you make me, homeboy?" He turned to face me slowly. "Trust me, I could if I wanted to," Pete shot back. He looked mad. And, even worse, I was enjoying it. "Ha! Really? Why don't you show me Petey?" I laughed mockingly. "Guys just stop, we don't need to-" Greg started, but I didn't hear the rest, because just then, Pete punched me in the nose.

I wiped the blood from my face. "Hit me again!" I shouted at Pete. "Ahhhhh!" Pete howled. He brought his fist back and knocked me in the face again. As I stumbled back I heard Greg screaming for Pete to stop. It took a while for my vision to come back. But when it did, anger swelled up within me. "Pete! You fool!" I tackled the big kid to the ground. He groaned as we landed hard. I easily shifted on top of him. "Get OFF!" Pete demanded. I smiled down at him and shook my head. "Loser," I muttered. Then I elbowed Pete in the chin. Blood spurted from the bruise. "Stop Skye! Please!" Pete pleaded. I shook my head again. It was happening. I was losing it again. I punched him in the gut. No, I had to get control of myself. Jewel's death came to mind. I couldn't let that kind of insane, murderous rage take over again. No, I had to stop. I lifted myself from Pete and walked away.

I kept walking. I took deep breaths through gritted teeth. I can't do this. I can't go crazy. Pete's my friend! I walked until I got tired, calmed down and returned to camp. Pete started a fire and we slept on opposite sides of the flame. Greg slept next to Pete. Clearly Greg was on Pete's side of the argument. I guess when Greg had suggested leaving him, he hadn't actually expected anyone to agree to it. Heh, figures.

We woke up on Day 8 and checked on Greg. He was looking a little better. I muttered, "Do you guys want me to get another load of supplies from the stash?" Pete shook his head. "We need everyone here just in case. Say Art and Casey show up. I can't take them both. They would kill both of us before you could get back. Plus, we have enough supplies for now," Pete explained. I rolled my eyes and sat down. "Just trying to be helpful..." It was really hot and we were all sweating. "We could be chilling in our cave right now. Without the sun beating on us. That would be amazing," I said wishfully. Pete snorted. Greg shifted and groaned. Pete hurried to help him. I turned around to observe the desert. There was no one, and no animal out there. Just rocks and orange dirt.

"Hey, Pete, I'm sorry about how I acted. I was being a jerk. I don't know...I have been acting odd lately..." I attempted an apology. Pete shrugged. "It's cool kid. I understand. The Games change us all in different ways," he sympathized. I nodded, grinning. "Thanks Pete," then I continued in a hushed voice, "What about Greg? You think he'll...live?" Pete sighed loudly. "I don't know Skye. But it's obvious that unless we get serious medical aid soon, he's toast..." Pete's voice cracked near the end. Was he about to cry? He turned his head away from me and I gave Pete his privacy. The big guy really did have a heart.

That night we went to sleep listening to the anthem. No deaths. Again. Man, we were lasting pretty well. Day 9 was on its way in, and Greg was sadly on his way out. In the morning, we were greeted by a beeping noise. "Parachute!" Pete squealed. I smiled and stood. It glided straight down into my hands. The note inside read, "For Greg. But keep in mind Skye, tomorrow, it happens. I hope you're hungry. -Tammy." Pete swiped the other contents. They were medical supplies. Good ones. Greg was already feeling better. I was still thinking about the note.

We spent the rest of the day deciphering the note from my mentor while Greg healed up. He was doing great. The cuts and blood-spurting wounds were closing up and Greg felt a ton better. "I feel like I could...kill Art Phelps...or attack 50 mutts!" Greg declared proudly.

Eventually, Pete and I came to a conclusion. The whole time we were deciding whether Tammy was telling us about another parachute tomorrow or,

A Feast.


End file.
